Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
by Invisible Shadowess
Summary: Will Artemis ever remember Holly? Even when she's standing in the same room him, he still can't remember. Oneshot, maybe. Title's from the 7th chapter of the 4th book. Plz R&R.


A/N: I don't own any of the characters in this chapter. I would love to, but the belong to Eoin Colfer. This will probably be just a one shot, but if you review and want me to continue, I have no problem obliging.

**Two Steps Forward, One Step Back**

**  
****Forward:**

It's been one year since Artemis was ordered to be mind wiped. No matter how Holly tries to explain the truth to him, his brain tries to tell him other wise. Guess Foaly's system worked then, didn't it?

**Present:**

Artemis:

He just couldn't figure it out. Was he really comatose; his mind taking him through a very strange world? Or, as bizarre as it seemed, was this really happening? Here he was sitting in this room with a three foot elf, (surely his mind was playing tricks on him) Captain Holly Short was what she called herself, after she had just finished telling him of all the adventures they had together.

Now, how could this be possible? He didn't remember any of this. Sure, the elf mentioned a mind wipe of some sort, but that couldn't be so. _How _could it be so?

She told him that they were friends, and that she needed his help. But there was something that he needed to find out. Where did he get this conscious from? As an expert in business, he _knew _that asking for a fee would be common knowledge. But just looking into her hazel eyes made him want to help her no matter what was asked of him.

Was it love at first sight? Was it the fact the somewhere in her eyes held a familiarity that he couldn't quite grasp? Or, was it an old forgotten love that he left behind him in the mind wipe?

No, that couldn't be it. If he loved her, wouldn't he remember her when saw her?

Holly:

Oh, what would it take to make him remember? She already told him everything. She would have thought that just showing up alone would make him remember. But no, he was still sitting, looking at her, trying to connect the dots. It didn't look like it was working out for him. Obviously Foaly's plan had worked. His brain was trying to make "rational" reasons as to why a three foot elf was standing in front of him.

He was definitely trying to work something out. The crease lines in his forehead indicated that. Holly loved the way his eyes looked when he was concentrating.

Slowly, she shook her head. Why was she thinking of Artemis that way? She would be eighty in four months and he was fourteen. She was almost positive that the Book had something written against such an age difference. Heck; there was surely something written against fairy and human love. It was unnatural.

But then, by human standards, she would probably be no more than sixteen. What would it be like to be human?

Artemis:

Suddenly, Artemis thought of something. Without a word, he went up to Holly, lifted her chin so she was looking up at him, and gazed into her eyes.

Holly:

Holly didn't know what to expect. Would her eyes give away too much? She hoped not. It would be quite embarrassing if he saw in her eyes how she felt for him. On the flip side, she at least had an excuse to look into his striking blue eyes. They were lovely.

Artemis:

He didn't know what he was searching for, but he thought that, since her eyes had such a great effect on him, he should start there. He stood there over her, not moving his eyes one bit from hers. Then, a flicker went across her eyes. Or maybe he was beginning to remember now. It was just a flash.

It was a starry night. Holly was saying good-bye to him. He didn't know why. This particular flash didn't have any words. She was looking at him with teary eyes, then turned away, flying off through the night sky.

And that was it. Nothing else. He thought about the "memory". Artemis couldn't yet say for sure whether or not it was a real memory though. He looked at Holly and saw that her eyes were beginning to brim with tears. He was beginning to remember.

Then his brain took over again. He was just day dreaming. What he really saw was Holly tearing up because of Commander Root being dead and all. There was no night sky. Of course there couldn't be. It was two in the afternoon.

Holly:

She had seen it in his eyes. What he remembered she had no clue, but she could see that he remembered something. It was there, she could almost feel it. Then it was gone. She couldn't believe it. He couldn't remember. She began to tear up, not caring that a tear was already going down her cheek. His memory was doing a little dance with her. It went _two steps forward, one step back._

**A/N: I hoped you liked it. Plz review. Like I said before, if you want me to continue, than I am obliged to do so. Let me know. Thankz.**


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